It only took me 10 months to finally pay a visit to the much-talked about – Sushi Samba. There were numerous attempts to do their business lunch, but when you have school pick ups to do – the 12-2pm timeslot never worked. Finally booked us a table during the school holidays, to try out their famous Vivo Business Lunch when mum was over in Dubai last month.
So, how did it go? Does the venue live up to the hype?
First off. One of (very) few restaurants that have a good reservation team. They (actually) respond to emails – not 10 days later but within 24 hours. On the actual day that we went, I rang them to see if there was a spot and we were lucky enough to get a table. Prime spot as well I would say, right by the windows. Possibly because we got there early, slightly after 12pm, which is the start of their business lunch timeslot.
The first thing you will notice when you get to Sushi Samba would be – the view. PS – They are on the 51st floor of the St Regis in Palm Jumeirah. Also Pps – if you have never driven there, it’s a pain to find the entrance. You may end up doing a loop around the Palm but – be patient – you will get there eventually 🙂
To whoever who came up with the idea of building a tower on the trunk of the Palm – I’ll take my hats off to you. One of the best views of new Dubai. If someone asked me if they should dine in Atmosphere or Sushi Samba for views – I would happily recommend the latter.
It was quiet when we got there, but very quickly filled up.
Full house within an hour – with what did look mostly like people who came out to have a nice long, leisurely lunch before heading back to work. Nice vibe. Didn’t see any kids, haha. Though it is to be mentioned that kids are allowed in Sushi Samba.
The team were, as expected well-trained : friendly and understood the menu.
For the business lunch – you get miso soup to start, two small plates and one mains. For 139 AED (note : dined in August 2022) – this was a really good deal. And as an overall (sorry, short review) – we loved every bit of it. The sushi (we ordered the bahia samba roll, and the asevichado samba roll), the salmon ceviche, as well as the chilean seabass anticuchos. Presentation, taste, texture, colours.
We were pleasantly surprised that their mains were of decent portions as well. I am happy when restaurants mention the size of steak – it’s all about ‘managing expectations’, isn’t it? So when it says that I am getting a 100gram Australian Angus Tenderloin – I will be happy to see a 100gram piece of juicy steak.
Only thing that could be better? The service was …….just, too……. quick. I would be picking up the last sushi and poof, the serving plate disappears. Almost every dish came with a vanishing act. Slow down, please. When we had finished everything, it would have been nice if the team asked if we would like some dessert before placing the menu on our table. Maybe I haven’t been to a business lunch for awhile – is this the norm? Quick quick, hurry hurry. Eat and go? A bit too much for my liking.
Well – normally I don’t splurge on overpriced desserts but I was there with mum so I thought – why not. We ordered their ‘Samba Dessert Platter’ – which had a little bit of everything. Fruit platter (with rambutan, yummm), yuzu cheesecake, and japanese doughnut andagi that came with black sesame ice cream. It was served with crushed ice, presented with the Dubai-favourite – dry-ice. So many years of seeing this and I still love it, haha. I think this was 125AED?
Have a browse through Sushi Samba’s Business Lunch Menu here.
As an overall – mum and I had a really nice afternoon at Sushi Samba. We probably stayed on for another 20 minutes taking photos.
I would say – add it to your Dubai bucket list. If you don’t plan to do ‘The View‘ or ‘Aura Skypool‘, book a table at Sushi Samba. That way you can have a nice lunch without burning a hole in your pocket whilst enjoying the amazing view of Dubai. Just tell the team to slow down a little with the dish collection, pleeease.
Lastly – will I return? I’m not one to do business lunches twice, so that’s a box ticked off. I am however intrigued as to what the rest of the menu is like. I hear they do a pretty good brunch? One that I may need to take a loan out for? One day, maaaaybe 😉
- Sushi Samba
- 51st floor of St Regis The Palm Jumeirah
- Website
Have a browse through here for a list of Business Lunches in and around the Dubai Marina
Any comments, queries – feel free to ask on the Instagram post below :
Disclaimer : This is not a sponsored post. We paid for lunch at Sushi Samba.
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